LISTENING

COMPREHENSION
Fider Saputra T., S.Hum., M.Hum.
Listening on the Paper TOEFL Test
On the paper TOEFL test, the first section is
called Listening Comprehension.
This section consists of fifty questions
(though some tests may be longer). You will
listen to recorded materials and respond to
multiple-choice questions about the material.
You must listen carefully because you will hear
the recording one time only and the material on
the recording is not written in your test book.
 Short Dialogues
Short Dialogues are two-line dialogues
between two speakers, each followed by a
multiple-choice question. You will listen to each
short dialogue and question on the recording and
then choose the best answer to each question
from the four choices in your test book.
The 30 short dialogues and 30 questions
about them make up Part A of the paper TOEFL
test.
 Long Conversations
Long Conversations are 60 - 90 second
conversations on casual topics between students,
each followed by a number of multiple-choice
questions. You will listen to each long conversation
and each of the questions that accompany it on the
recording and then choose the best answer to each
question from the four choices in your test book.
The two conversations and the seven to nine
questions that accompany them make up Part B of
the paper TOEFL test.
 Talks
Talks are 60 - 90 second talks about school
life or on academic subjects, each followed by a
number of multiple-choice questions. You will
listen to each lecture and each of the questions
that accompany it on the recording and then
choose the best answer to each question from the
four choices in your test book.
The three lectures and the 11 - 13 questions
that accompany them make up Part C of the
paper TOEFL test.
 STRATEGIES
(Short Dialogues)
SKILL 1: FOCUS ON THE LAST LINE

1. The last line of the dialogue probably contains

the answer to the question.
2. Listen to the first line of the dialogue. If you
understand it, that’s good. If you don’t
understand it, don’t worry because it probably
does not contain the answer.
3. Be ready to focus on the last line of the
dialogue because it probably contains the
answer. Repeat the last line in your mind as
you read through the answers in the text.
SKILL 1: FOCUS ON THE LAST LINE
Example:
On the recording, you hear:
(man)Billy really made a big mistake this time.
(woman) Yes, he forgot to turn in his research
paper.
(narrator) What does the woman say about Billy?

In your test book, you read:

(A) It was the first time he made a mistake.
(B) He forgot to write his paper.
(C) He turned in the paper in the wrong place.
(D) He didn’t remember to submit his assignment.
 TOEFL EXERCISE 1
1. (A) He is leaving now.
(B) He has to go out of his way.
(C) He will not be leaving soon.
(D) He will do it his own way.
 TOEFL EXERCISE 1
2. (A) He locked the door.
(B) He tried unsuccesfully to get into the
house.
(C) He was able to open the door.
(D) He left the house without locking the door.
 TOEFL EXERCISE 1
3. (A) She doesn’t like to listen to turkeys.
(B) She thinks the dinner sounds special.
(C) She especially likes the roast turkey.
(D) She’d prefer a different dinner.
 TOEFL EXERCISE 1
4. (A) He’ll be busy with her homework tonight.
(B) He can’t help her tonight.
(C) He’s sorry he can’t ever help her.
(D) He’ll help her with her physics.
 TOEFL EXERCISE 1
5. (A) Her eyes hurt.
(B) She thought the lecture was great.
(C) The class was boring.
(D) She didn’t want to watch Professor Martin.
 SKILL 2: CHOOSE ANSWERS WITH
SYNONYMS

Often the correct answer in a short dialogue is an

answer that contain synonyms (words with
similar meanings but different sounds) for key
words in the conversation.
1. As you listen to the last line of the dialogue,
focus on key words in that line.
2. If you see any synonyms for key words in a
particular answer, then you have probably
found the correct answer.
 SKILL 2: CHOOSE ANSWERS WITH
SYNONYMS
Example:
On the recording, you hear:
(woman) Why is Barbara feeling so happy?
(man)She just started working in a real estate
agency.
(narrator) What does the man say about Barbara?

In your test book, you read:

(A) She always liked her work in real estate.
(B) She began a new job.
(C) She just bought some real estate.
(D) She bought a real estate agency.
 TOEFL EXERCISE 2
1. (A) The final exam was harder than the others.
(B) There were two exams rather than one.
(C) He thought the exam would be easier.
(D) The exam was not very difficult.
 TOEFL EXERCISE 2
2. (A) He’s not feeling very well.
(B) He’s rather sick of working.
(C) He’s feeling better today than yesterday.
(D) He’d really rather not answer the question.
 TOEFL EXERCISE 2
3. (A) The company was founded about a year ago.
(B) It was just established that he could go into
business.
(C) The family is well-established.
(D) The business only lasted a year.
 TOEFL EXERCISE 2
4. (A) He did not look at the right schedule.
(B) The plane landed in the right place.
(C) The plane arrived on time.
(D) He had to wait for the plane to land.
 TOEFL EXERCISE 2
5. (A) She’d rather go running.
(B) She doesn’t want to go into the pool.
(C) She’ll change clothes quickly and go
swimming.
(D) She needs a sweatsuit to go running.
SKILL 3: AVOID SIMILAR SOUNDS

Often the incorrect answers in the short dialogues

are answers that contain words with similar
sounds but very different meanings from what you
hear on the recording. You should definitely avoid
these answers.
1. Identify key words in the last line of the
dialogue.
2. Identify words in the answers that contain
similar sounds, and do not choose these
answers.
 SKILL 3: AVOID SIMILAR SOUNDS
Example:
On the recording, you hear:
(man)Why couldn’t Mark come with us?
(woman) He was searching for a new apartment.
(narrator) What does the woman say about Mark?

In your test book, you read:

(A) He was in the department office.
(B) He was looking for a place to live.
(C) He was working on his research project.
(D) He has an appointment at church.
 TOEFL EXERCISE 3
1. (A) She has to wait for some cash.
(B) The waiter is bringing a glass of water.
(C) The lawn is too dry.
(D) She needs to watch out for a crash.
 TOEFL EXERCISE 3
2. (A) The sweater’s the wrong size.
(B) The man’s feet aren’t sweating.
(C) The sweater makes the man seem fat.
(D) The sweet girl doesn’t feel right.
 TOEFL EXERCISE 3
3. (A) He has been regularly using a computer.
(B) He communicates with a Boston company.
(C) He regularly goes to communities around
Boston.
(D) He has been traveling back and forth to
Boston.
 TOEFL EXERCISE 3
4. (A) He thought the lesson didn’t matter.
(B) He couldn’t learn the lesson.
(C) He learned a massive number of details.
(D) He didn’t like most of the lesson.
 TOEFL EXERCISE 3
5. (A) Some animals started the first fire.
(B) Animals are killed by forest fires.
(C) In the first frost, animals die.
(D) Frost can kill animals.
SKILL 4: DRAW CONCLUSIONS ABOUT
WHO, WHAT, WHERE

It is common in the short dialogue to ask you

to draw some kind of conclusion. In this type of
question, the answer is not clearly stated; instead
you must draw a conclusion based on clues
given in the dialogue.
SKILL 4: DRAW CONCLUSIONS ABOUT
WHO, WHAT, WHERE

WHO
One kind of conclusion that is common in this
part of the test is to ask you to determine who the
speaker is, based on clues given in the dialogue.
 WHO
Example:
On the recording, you hear:
(woman) Can you tell me what assignments I missed
when I was absent from your class?
(man)You missed one homework assignment and a quiz.
(narrator) Who is the man?

In your test book, you read:

(A) A newspaper editor.
(B) A police officer.
(C) A teacher.
(D) A student.
SKILL 4: DRAW CONCLUSIONS ABOUT
WHO, WHAT, WHERE

WHAT
Another type of conclusion that is common in
the short dialogues is to determine what will
probably happen next, based on clues given in
the dialogue.
 WHAT
Example:
On the recording, you hear:
(woman) Are you going to read those books here in the
library?
(man) I think I’d rather check them out now and take
them home.
(narrator) What will the man probably do next?

In your test book, you read:

(A) Sit down in the library
(B) Look for some more books
(C) Return the books to the shelves
(D) Go to the circulation desk
SKILL 4: DRAW CONCLUSIONS ABOUT
WHO, WHAT, WHERE

WHERE
A final type of conclusion that is common in the
short dialogues is to determine where the
conversation probably takes place, based on
clues given in the conversation.
 WHERE
Example:
On the recording, you hear:
(woman) Are you going into the water, or are you just
going to lie there on the sand?
(man) I think I need to put on some suntan lotion.
(narrator) Where does this conversation probably take place?

In your test book, you read:

(A) At a beauty salon
(B) At the beach
(C) In a sandbox
(D) At an outdoor restaurant
 TOEFL EXERCISE 4
1. (A) In a photography studio
(B) In a biology laboratory
(C) In an office
(D) In the library
 TOEFL EXERCISE 4
2. (A) He’s a pilot.
(B) He’s a flight attendant.
(C) He’s a member of the ground crew.
(D) He works clearing land.
 TOEFL EXERCISE 4
3. (A) Wash the dishes immediately
(B) Use as many dishes as possible
(C) Wash the dishes for as long as possible
(D) Wait until later to clean up
 TOEFL EXERCISE 4
4. (A) In a bank
(B) In a restaurant
(C) At a service station
(D) In a beauty salon
 TOEFL EXERCISE 4
5. (A) A salesclerk in a shoe store
(B) A shoe repair person
(C) A party caterer
(D) A salesclerk in a fixtures department
 SKILL 5: LISTEN FOR NEGATIVE
EXPRESSIONS

Negative expressions are very common in the

short dialogues, and the most common kind of
correct response to a negative statement is a
positive statement containing a word with an
opposite meaning.
SKILL 5: LISTEN FOR NEGATIVE
EXPRESSIONS
 SKILL 5: LISTEN FOR NEGATIVE
EXPRESSIONS
Example:
On the recording, you hear:
(man)How did they get to their grandmother’s house
in Maine in only five hours?
(woman) They didn’t drive slowly on the trip to Maine.
(narrator) What does the woman say about the trip?

In your test book, you read:

(A) They drove rather quickly.
(B) They couldn’t have driven more slowly.
(C) They wanted to travel slowly to Maine.
(D) They didn’t drive to Maine.
 TOEFL EXERCISE 5
1. (A) She is very busy.
(B) She has lots of free time.
(C) It is not necessary to take out the trash.
(D) She will do it if she has time.
 TOEFL EXERCISE 5
2. (A) The interview is very important.
(B) He is worried about the interview.
(C) What he’s wearing to the interview is
important.
(D) He is not concerned about the interview.
 TOEFL EXERCISE 5
3. (A) He has almost all the notes.
(B) His attendance was perfect.
(C) He went to all the lectures but one.
(D) He missed more than one psychology class.
 TOEFL EXERCISE 5
4. (A) They passed the library at 6:00.
(B) The library opens at 6:00 in the summer.
(C) The library closes at 6:00.
(D) You can’t check out more than six books in
the summer.
 TOEFL EXERCISE 5
5. (A) Water the plants once a day.
(B) Give the plants no more water.
(C) Water the plants often while the man is
gone.
(D) Give the plants a limited amount of water.
SKILL 6: LISTEN FOR EXPRESSIONS OF
UNCERTAINTY AND SUGGESTION

Expressions of uncertainty and suggestion are

common in the short dialogues, so you should
become familiar with them.
 EXPRESSIONS OF UNCERTAINTY

Example:
On the recording, you hear:
(man)Do you know anything about the final exam in
physics?
(woman) It’s going to be rather difficult, isn’t it?
(narrator) What does the woman mean?

In your test book, you read:

(A) The exam is not going to be too difficult.
(B) She’s positive that it’s going to be hard.
(C) She thinks that it might be hard.
(D) She has no idea about the exam.
 EXPRESSIONS OF SUGGESTION

Example:
On the recording, you hear:
(man)I’ll never have time to type my paper
tomorrow?
(woman) Why not do it now?
(narrator) What does the woman suggest?

In your test book, you read:

(A) Finishing the paper today
(B) Not working on the paper now
(C) Never typing the paper
(D) Taking time out from the paper now
 TOEFL EXERCISE 6
1. (A) He’s sure about which chapters they are to read.
(B) He thinks he knows what the assignment is.
(C) He has to tell her how far she should go.
(D) The professor told them to read the chapters after
the exam.
 TOEFL EXERCISE 6
2. (A) The man should take the pie out.
(B) The man should try something else.
(C) The man shouldn’t try cherry pie.
(D) The man should feel sorry.
 TOEFL EXERCISE 6
3. (A) He knows the movie starts at 8:00.
(B) He is not quite sure when the movie begins.
(C) He thinks the start of the movie has been
changed.
(D) He will start the movie himself at 8:00.
 TOEFL EXERCISE 6
4. (A) Not doing the dishes now
(B) Leaving the house with the dishes
(C) Leaving later so that they can do the dishes
now
(D) Washing the dishes before they leave
 TOEFL EXERCISE 6
5. (A) She’s told Matt he’ll go far.
(B) Matt has far from enough talent.
(C) She told Matt to roll farther.
(D) She believes Matt has the ability for the
part.
 SKILL 7: LISTEN FOR EMPHATIC
EXPRESSIONS OF SURPRISE

Emphatic expressions of surprise are common

in the short dialogues, so you should become
familiar with them. When surprise is expressed,
it implies that the speaker did not expect
something to be true.
SKILL 7: LISTEN FOR EMPHATIC
EXPRESSIONS OF SURPRISE
 SKILL 7: LISTEN FOR EMPHATIC
EXPRESSIONS OF SURPRISE
Example:
On the recording, you hear:
(woman) Would you like to go skiing this weekend?
(man)So you can ski!
(narrator) What had the man assumed?

In your test book, you read:

(A) The woman was a good skier.
(B) The woman was going skiing this weekend.
(C) The woman did not know how to ski.
(D) The woman did not intend to go skiing.
 TOEFL EXERCISE 7
1. (A) Greg always comes to parties.
(B) Greg would come to the party later.
(C) Greg was unable to attend the party.
(D) Greg would stay at the party for only a
moment.
 TOEFL EXERCISE 7
2. (A) The woman always rode her motorcycle to school.
(B) The woman was not coming to school today.
(C) The woman was an expert motorcycle rider.
(D) The woman did not know how to ride a
motorcycle.
 TOEFL EXERCISE 7
3. (A) The man was not a very good cook.
(B) The man never invited friends over for
dinner.
(C) The man would never invite him over for
dinner.
(D) The man was an excellent cook.
 TOEFL EXERCISE 7
4. (A) The woman had run more than three miles.
(B) The woman always got lots of exercise.
(C) The woman ran for three hours in the
morning.
(D) The woman had not gotten much exercise.
 TOEFL EXERCISE 7
5. (A) He had been somewhere else.
(B) He had been in the library.
(C) He had been working on his research
project.
(D) He would start working on his project in
five hours.
 SKILL 8: LISTEN FOR WISHES

Conversations about wishes can appear in the

short dialogues. The important idea to remember
about wishes is that a wish implies that the
opposite of the wish is true.
SKILL 8: LISTEN FOR WISHES
 SKILL 8: LISTEN FOR WISHES

Example:
On the recording, you hear:
(woman) It’s too bad that you have to stay here and
work during the school break.
(man)I really wish I could go with you and the others
to Palm Springs.
(narrator) What does the man mean?

In your test book, you read:

(A) Maybe he will go with the others on the trip.
(B) He is unable to go on the trip.
(C) He’s happy to be going on the trip.
(D) He’s going on the trip, but not with the others.
 TOEFL EXERCISE 8
1. (A) The line is short.
(B) There are not very many people in front of
them.
(C) The line in front of them is too long.
(D) Not many people want to get tickets to the
concert.
 TOEFL EXERCISE 8
2. (A) The woman told him about the ticket.
(B) He wanted the woman to get a ticket.
(C) He was happy to find out about the ticket.
(D) The woman did not tell him about the
ticket.
 TOEFL EXERCISE 8
3. (A) She is not working too many hours next
week.
(B) She doesn’t have enough hours next week.
(C) She is working too many hours next week.
(D) She likes working so much.
 TOEFL EXERCISE 8
4. (A) The department did not change the
requirements.
(B) She likes the new requirements.
(C) She changed her apartment just before
graduation.
(D) She does not like the changes that
department made.
 TOEFL EXERCISE 8
5. (A) He is going to the theater.
(B) He doesn’t have enough money.
(C) He isn’t afraid to go.
(D) He doesn’t want to spend the money.
 SKILL 9: LISTEN FOR UNTRUE
CONDITION

Conversations containing conditions can

appear in the short dialogues. The important idea
to remember about conditions is that a condition
implies that the opposite of the condition is true.
SKILL 9: LISTEN FOR UNTRUE
CONDITION
 SKILL 9: LISTEN FOR UNTRUE
CONDITION
Example:
On the recording, you hear:
(man)Do you think that you’ll be able to go to the party?
(woman) If I had time, I would go.
(narrator) What does the woman say about the party?

In your test book, you read:

(A) Maybe she’ll go.
(B) She has time, so she’ll go.
(C) She is going even if she doesn’t have time.
(D) It’s impossible to go.
 TOEFL EXERCISE 9
1. (A) The woman did not need to call him.
(B) The woman called to let him know about
the meeting.
(C) He’s not glad that the woman called.
(D) He already knew about the meeting when
the woman called.
 TOEFL EXERCISE 9
2. (A) The man often drives too quickly.
(B) The police do not stop the man too much.
(C) The man drove rather slowly.
(D) The police should not stop the man so
often.
 TOEFL EXERCISE 9
3. (A) She’s so happy they don’t have to work on Friday.
(B) It would be nice if they could finish their work on
Friday.
(C) She wonders if the man would be nice enough to
come in to work in her place on Friday.
(D) It’s too bad they must work on Friday.
 TOEFL EXERCISE 9
4. (A) She did not put enough postage on the
letter.
(B) The letter arrived last week.
(C) The letter did not need more postage.
(D) She did not put any postage on the letter.
 TOEFL EXERCISE 9
5. (A) He has a dog.
(B) He doesn’t pay attention to dogs.
(C) He wishes he had a dog.
(D) Dogs do not need much attention.